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Monday, August 26, 2013

No real surprise here. The 9th Circuit has ruled
against a Montana law that attempted to declare federal firearms regulations
don't apply to firearms made and kept in that state.

A similar bill was
introduced during the 2013 Session of the General Assembly by Delegate Bob
Marshall. House Bill 2340, if passed and signed by the Governor, would have prevented any agency, political subdivision, or
employee of Virginia from assisting the federal government of the United States
in any investigation, prosecution, detention, arrest, search, or seizure, under
the authority of any federal statute enacted, or Executive Order or regulation
issued, after December 31, 2012, infringing the individual right to keep and bear arms by imposing new
restrictions on private ownership or private transfer of firearms, firearm magazines,
ammunition, or components thereof. The bill was reported by the House Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee and made it to the full House, but was rereferred to House Appropriations where it died. It likely would not have made out out the the State Senate had it passed the House anyway.

While passing such legislation may make us feel good about poking our proverbial finger in the eye of the federal government, these measures are nothing more than feel good bills, symbolic at most. Gun owners should concentrate on things that do matter, like working to elect candidates that won't pass laws that infringe on our rights. We have such a chance to do just that in this year's statewide elections.